4 things to see at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Nestled in the badlands of Western North Dakota stands Medora, a town of fewer than 200 that seemingly exists to provide food, lodging, supplies, and entertainment to the nearly 600,000 annual visitors to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 

In reality, the old Western-themed city dates back to 1883, when it served as a military installation. That same year, Theodore Roosevelt made his first visit to Medora to hunt bison, according to National Parks Traveler. For many years after that, he hunted and ranched there, reports the Theodore Roosevelt Center. 


Despite that, the area surrounding Medora didn’t become a national park until 1947, 28 years after Roosevelt died. Today, the expansive, 70,000-plus-acre park dedicated to conservation and preservation in honor of the 26th president of the United States is one of the biggest attractions to North Dakota. 

While boondocking in the western part of the state, we made a point to visit the park and quickly discovered why Roosevelt fell in love with the area. Here are four amazing things to see at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

1. Beautiful badlands​

The badlands of North Dakota are rock formations that made navigating that part of the state difficult, especially for horses and wagons. Tan, striped, jagged rocks jut up from the ground, creating an attractive, diverse landscape. 

Similar to the rock formations in South Dakota’s Badlands National Park, the badlands in North Dakota consist of rock and mineral deposits in varied layers so that no two formations are identical. Today, Interstate 94 passes through the park, offering incredible views of these landforms. But the best views can be found on Scenic Loop Drive through the park. 

2. Bountiful bison

We’ve seen bison at Badlands National Park that seemingly posed for pictures. We’ve also seen them on the Alaska Highway. But we’ve never been as near to bison as we were at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 

Arriving at the park at the end of a workday, we happened upon three different herds of the intimidating beasts. Male, female, young, and old bison foraged on either side of the road, crossed in front of us, and even stood in or walked down the middle of the road — giving us a close-up look at their girth, fur, facial structure, and hairy legs.

I probably could have rolled down my window, reached out, and petted a bison if I tried, but I quickly gained a healthy respect for the creatures, and for my security inside Gulliver. While waiting for one of the herds to make room for vehicles to pass by, we watched a man and a woman on a motorcycle slowly move through bison that stood taller than their bike.​

3. Wonderful wild horses

​Theodore Roosevelt National Park is also home to a number of wild horses. Believed to be descendants of horses from early settlers and ranchers in the area, according to National Park Field Guide, wild horses have been seen in the vicinity since the early 1900s.

​As we started up Scenic Loop Drive, we spotted some grazing atop a bluff, looking majestic on their perch. Then on our way out of the park, we noticed some cars off to the side of the road and people with cameras to their faces pointed down a ravine. Bob pulled over, and I hopped out just in time to snap some photos of the horses before they ran up and out of the ravine and away from onlookers. 

4. Playful prairie dogs

Prairie dogs are fun to watch, despite the damage they do when making holes for their underground villages. While driving through Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we saw a field marked by myriad holes and knew right away it was the work of prairie dogs. Yet we didn’t see any of the playful rodents there. 

A little farther down the road, we came across another prairie dog field and caught some of the creatures standing at attention. Bob rolled down his window for a better view. We immediately heard squeaks, chirps, and barks escape the critters’ throats as they communicated with one another. After watching for a while, we moved on. 

We could have easily spent more time at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but the sun was setting. We didn’t want to encounter a bison on the road in the dark, so we headed out, grateful we had made the trip. 

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